Battle of the Bzura

The Battle of the Bzura was the largest battle of the German invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, taking place from 9 to 19 September 1939 near Kutno, Poland. 8 Polish infantry divisions and 4 mounted cavalry brigades, commanded by Tadeusz Kutrzeba, took part in a large-scale counterattack against the Wehrmacht along the Bzura River, facing 12 German infantry divisions and 5 armored and motorized divisions under Gerd von Rundstedt. The Germans outflanked the Poles, who had fielded horsemen in combat against German armored vehicles in one of the last instances of cavalry usage on the battlefield. The Poznan and Pomorze armies of the Polish Army were destroyed in the battle, and 170,000 Polish troops were consigned to German captivity, while 52,000 were dead or wounded. The Germans used the victory to occupy western Poland, and Poland would fall by early October.